Letters, We Get Letters......

Every so often, our fan base fowards comments to us regarding Manhigut. One in particular that was posted on one of the Efrat lists, caught our eye as needing a response. We reprint the letter below in its entirety (sans author's name) as well as two responses. We of course invite all to weigh in.

Letter from Efrat
As someone who has followed Manhigut Yehudit for some time, and who, as a recent oleh, has made a deliberate decision not to join, allow me to attempt to explain my concerns with the Manhigut vision.

There are, indeed, a lot of attractive planks in the Manhigut platform, including returning a Jewish ethos to the army, making the Supreme Court responsible to the people, pushing Jewish education but not religious coercion.

In the face of growing world (or at least European "intellectual") deliberation about whether Israel truly has a right to exist, I agree that the appropriate response is not a retreat into apologetics but a resurgence of pride in the Jewish state as a Jewish homeland, and a firm grounding in Jewish religious values.

Yet what troubles me - and troubles me greatly - is the Manhigut Yehudit attitude towards the rest of the world, non-Jews both as individuals, within Israel and without, and vis-a-vis the states that comprise them.

Simply put, the problem is this: Manhigut Yehudit is so enamoured with the power of Jewish ideas and ethics as to believe them to be entirely self-sufficient. Likewise for a Jewish political entity. This results not in any malice or viciousness directed toward non-Jews, but simply in a pervasive, sweetly naive (or outrageously fantastical) belief in the simple irrelevance of non-Jews.

Manhigut Yehudit seems to believe in the proverbial (and misquoted) "light unto the nations," the Jewish influence as a mono-directional, untouchable beacon shining down from on high. They refuse to entertain the possibility that a strong, interactive relationship with the world community, especially America, can be enriching for the Jewish state, or that Israel's non-Jewish citizens might have important contributions to offer.

And so, I find Manhigut's proposal to halt the employment of foreign workers [as outlined in its overview of guidelines for the Jewish State] to be misguided, economically detrimental, and strangely ignorant of the sociological realities of a country full of Jews, every one a born manager(!)

I view its motion to ban all Likud MKs (other than Prime Minister and Foreign Minister) from stepping foot on American soil until Jonathan Pollard is freed [as submitted at the October 2002 Likud Convention] as so ignorant of American political realities and such a misjudgment of the relative impact of the action as to be entirely laughable (regardless of where one stands on the Pollard situation, politically).

Manhigut's endorsement of a constitution that protects "the citizenship rights of its Jews" [emphasis mine] but only the "human rights of all its faithful residents" [again, from the Overview of guidelines for a Jewish State] has me actually alarmed over just how much room there is for democracy in Manhigut's conception of a Jewish State.

And when Manhigut Yehudit's International Director excoriates Jews worldwide for daring to be moved by the Asian tsunami tragedy [see Sackett's article "No Tsunami Money From Me," as well as references in his other articles], for responding with genuine human and Jewish compassion to people beset by catastrophe, I believe it every Jew's responsibility to stand up and call this for what it is: so callously soulless as to make me wonder what type of monsters we may be raising on the pedestal of leadership.

Jewish leaders like these we can do without.


Response #1

Shalom U'bracha:

I read with great interest Mr. xxxxxxx's piece on Manhigut Yehudit. I have several comments to address to Mr. xxxxxxxxx.

While Mr. xxxxxxxx's accuses MY's policies as being "sweetly naive" I am afraid his perception of MY's policies are what is naive and perhaps a bit colored by the pernicious desire that effects many Jews both in the USA and Israel today; i.e., to be loved in the eyes of the goyim. Unfortunately our history tells us that every time we try to be "more Catholic than the Pope" Gd assiduously reminds us of who we really are, the hard way.

Manhigut has nothing against non-Jews. All we are saying, is "Jews First". If he had read Mr. Sackett's piece, he would have seen that it really is quite ridiculous to send Jewish aid to an intensely Islamic, anti-Jewish country while 24% of our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel live below the poverty line. Perhaps he would like to come with me to distribute food packages to over 1000 needy familes Erev Shabbat in Rishon L'Tzion. Perhaps these poor Jews would jump at a real job were it not taken by a non-Jewish foreign worker. Does Mr. xxxxxxxx believe that only people from the Phillipines are capable of caring for our Jewish elderly? Or that only Thai or Arabs can do construction or clean his home? I daresay that sounds like a bit of stereotyping to me. Detrimental to the economy? Ah, so taking people off of assisted support and giving them jobs which lead to more consumers of goods and extra revenue for the state in taxes, etc. would be detrimental?

"Strong relationship with the world community"? "Enriching for the Jewish State"? You mean the same world community that would dictate to us how big the state should be, which lands we get to hold on to? And how to respond to killers and thugs that mean to throw us into the sea? And who gives these same murderers weapons to turn on us? Do you really believe we have friends out there? Nations do not have friends, they have interests. Israel's interest is to survive and thrive. That is not on the world agenda as long as the Arab states pump oil. And if you believe in the myth that the US is the best friend Israel has, why do they consistently thwart our technology deals and why are we so afraid to cut the junkie's fix otherwise known as "US aid' that they use to wring concessions out of Israel? Friend? Please. All that western culture has done is polluted the values of Israel with it's superficiality, it's moral bankruptcy, and its MTV ethics. Perhaps you should read "Perfidy" or "From Time Immemorial" or "The Secret War Against The Jews" or "Uncomfortable Questions For Comfortable Jews?" And by the way, just so you understand, we don't have a Jewish state, not yet.

Redemption of captives is the highest mitzva in the Torah. Jonathan Pollard has languished in prison 21 years and been the victim of vicious lies because of betrayal by his Israeli handlers and the US government. You obviously are enamored with the concept of "democracy uber allis" But you do not realize that democracy and the Torah are not always compatible? And that one only has democracy where one has justice, specifically Jewish justice? Where is justice for Pollard, Mr. xxxxxxxxxx, who saved many Jewish lives with the information he gave Israel that was supposed to be provided but held back by Casper Weinberger and Bobby Ray Inman? Does this make you uncomfortable? I sincerely hope so.

I would ask you to stop being so in love with your empty western values that are a cheap dilution of Jewish ethics. All that MY proposes is doable, necessary, and with the right leadership, even practical. We have had nealy 60 years of empty, aimless secular leadership. As I said in a previous piece, you want change? Change the culture. This is hard work and requires lifting oneself out of the comfy chair role of armchair quarterback and doing work to change this rotting culture. Although I suppose that first, one has to change one's sweetly naive perception. I wish you the best on your journey.

Respectfully,

Jason Gold

Response#2
Dear Mr. XXXXX:

Sorry sweetie, but your venom is showing. You took great pains to cover it up using a seemingly reasoned and intellectual approach, but at the end of your long diatribe you could restrain yourself no longer. You wonder “what type of monsters we may be raising on the pedestal of leadership”, eh?

And I wonder where exactly you are coming from. Is it ignorance or malice?

I have had the pleasure and the honor of friendship with several of the leaders of Manhigut Yehudit, including Moshe Feiglin and Shmuel Sackett. There are no finer people anywhere. They are caring and compassionate human beings. But they don’t walk around with blinders on – and neither should you.

I am sorry that you did not attend the Manhigut Yehudit Chanukah Conference held recently in Jerusalem. Former Likud MK Ayoub Kara, a Druze Arab, spoke powerfully of his support for Manhigut Yehudit, saying that it is the only hope for Israel. The presence and support of Druze leaders at the Manhugit conference proves quite clearly that when Jews act like Jews and stand up for Jewish interests, this will be met with respect by people who recognize the truth.

You are concerned about Israel’s relationship with non-Jews. Israel does not have to be all things to all people. It is a small country, our only country. In the future Jewish State, Israelis will continue to work with non-Jews engaged in positive efforts in science, medicine, agriculture, etc. It’s the negative and exploitative aspects of our relationships with non-Jews that will be eliminated.

The strong and enriching relationship with the “world community” (Sic.) is what Israel supposedly has right now. How do you like it? Do you like the way Israel is continuously attacked in the U.N.? Are you happy with the double-dealing that comes from every American administration? How about the financial and direct arms support for the Arab enemy?

Do you possibly believe that the Arabs are not Israel’s enemy, despite many wars to prove the opposite? Do you believe that the Israeli Arabs are loyal citizens? Israeli Arabs have participated in more than half of the attempted and “successful” terrorist attacks in Israel.

Israel has never made any effort to hold back the civilized progress of Arabs in general or as individuals. To the contrary. Nevertheless, Arab efforts continue to focus on anti-Jewish and anti-Western propaganda, terrorism and war. It is time for Israel to wean this most unpleasant baby. It’s time for the Arabs to provide for their own welfare, to take responsibility for their own livelihood and their own health care. And the preferred place for them to do this is outside the Land of Israel. The money that was wasted on useless security fences and used for the evil of expulsion of our brothers from Gush Katif and Northern Shomron could well have subsidized the relocation of the Arab populace to other parts of the world.

It is not short-sighted (or racist) to limit citizenship rights in Israel to Jews. The unique perspective to understand and the will to implement only those measures that will be beneficial to a Jewish country (i.e. good for Jews) is the responsibility of Jews and Jews alone. Are you aware that German citizenship is restricted to Germans? That citizenship in Japan is restricted to native born Japanese? There is nothing wrong with this.

G-d gave Eretz Yisrael to the Jewish people, my friend. It’s ours. It is our homeland.

Let that sink in a moment. You are a new oleh. You will learn much in the coming months and years, especially if you keep your eyes, your mind and your heart wide open. Right now you have the perspective of the American Jew. It will take a while to become truly Israeli, to approach life from the perspective of a Jew living in his homeland. Please allow that process to take place.

Faige Lobel

Click here to rate this post on JBlog